Leuk 5

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Leuk 5, 1946, oil and pencil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.66
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Leuk 5, 1946, oil and pencil on canvas, 30 1⁄4 x 38 in. (76.9 x 96.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.66

Artwork Details

Title
Leuk 5
Artist
Date
1946
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
30 1⁄4 x 38 in. (76.9 x 96.5 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil and pencil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1986.92.66
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.92.66

Artwork Description

Leuk 5 evokes several different meanings, all of which may have had significance for László Moholy-Nagy. “Leuk” can mean light or brightness, which relates to his lifelong exploration of light and color in art and reflects the glowing hues in the image. It can also mean white, as in leukemia (white blood), which killed the artist in November 1946. The red and white ovals suggest blood cells, and the small black shape evokes an abnormal or cancerous cell. If so, then Moholy-Nagy might have magnified these microscopic particles to show how just a few tiny molecules can have a devastating effect on our bodies.

Works by this artist (1 item)

Mickalene Thomas, Portrait of Mnonja, 2010, rhinestones, acrylic, and enamel on wood panel, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2011.16, © 2010, Mickalene Thomas
Portrait of Mnonja
Artist
Date2010
rhinestones, acrylic, and enamel on wood panel
On view

Audio

Stop 158: Leuk 5

Leuk 5
1938, oil and pencil on canvas

LASZLO MOHOLY-NAGY
Born: Bacsbarsod, Hungary 1895– Died: Chicago, Illinois 1946

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